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Butts undergoes mental fitness hearings

Daniel Butts, the man accused of murdering Rainier Police Chief Ralph Painter in 2011, appeared in Columbia County Circuit Court earlier this week for hearings to determine whether the suspect is mentally fit to stand trial.

Butts, who has been in custody since 2011, has been receiving treatment at Oregon State Hospital.

In addition to being the defendant in a capital murder case, he's been at the center of a years-long legal battle over whether his mental health is sufficient for him to aid and assist in his own trial.

Doctors say he exhibits symptoms of schizophrenia, and has told medical staff members at OSH that he "hears voices."

After hearing expert testimony and reviewing psychological evaluations, a court ruled in March 2013 that Butts was unfit to stand trial. The following year, Columbia Circuit Judge Ted Grove ordered Butts to be medicated with antipsychotic drugs, whether he complied or not.

During testimony and cross-examination of an OSH doctor and forensic evaluator Tuesday, Butts' defense team questioned whether the 28-year-old had an adequately clear grasp on reality to fully appreciate the charges he faces.

Dianna Gentry, an attorney representing Butts, pointed to reports of Butts saying there's "no way" he could be found guilty of intentionally killing Painter, and indicating he fully expected to be released from the state hospital eventually.

Gentry suggested that fact, in itself, calls his mental fitness into question, and casts doubt on whether he'd be willing to plead guilty by reason of insanity.

"He says he's got a 100 percent chance of being found not guilty, and the facts are that he's charged with a capital offense, murdering a police officer..." Gentry said in court Tuesday. "As his attorney, how do I get him to plead guilty except insanity if he's not guilty?"